When a key franchise, regardless of its medium, has a “hiatus” of some kind, people notice it and wonder when the next entry in it will arrive. In the video game space, that happens quite a bit, especially in the current state of things where developers and publishers focus on more “moneymaking endeavors” versus trying to continue a franchise that gamers truly love. While Nintendo is great at making IP and keeping them successful, Star Fox has been one of the few that hasn’t had the most successful of entries in recent times, and fans are wondering if he’ll ever come back.
That fear has been compounded by the fact that despite numerous rumors saying Fox McCloud and his team would return via the Switch, it hasn’t happened yet. Enter character artist Takaya Imamura, who was the one who helped make the original art for Fox’s first title. In a chat with The Gamer, he noted that Shigeru Miyamoto has a love for the series, as well as for the one featuring Captain Falcon, and he feels that the living legend will keep the franchise alive:
“For both those games, Shigeru Miyamoto was behind the originals, and he has very strong feelings towards the IP that he’s created. But he’s also a very busy person. So I think one of the reasons specifically for those two IPs, why you don’t see [games] coming more frequently, is because of the balance between what he has on his plate and his desire to be a big part of new games in those franchises. It’s just impossible to have regular, yearly [releases], or every five years, even. This is just my personal feeling, but I think of those two games, Miyamoto has got strongest feelings for Star Fox. So, I think we’ll see another game, film, [or] some kind of new development with the IP at some point, but I don’t know when or what.”
He further explained that he doesn’t know when this might happen isn’t because he doesn’t work at Nintendo anymore but because Shigeru Miyamoto is “very busy,” which is true. He only lightly touches on games anymore and focuses instead on other ways that Nintendo IP can be used to help further the brand, like making movies or constructing certain museums.
Getting back to Fox McCloud, gamers truly do want to see him and his team back in action, so hopefully, they will only have to wait until the Switch 2.
